Chapter 3: Intruders

[December 24 2020

10:52PM

Phillipines, San Pedro Laguna

1 hour and 8 minutes before New Year's Eve]

"Hey guys, glad you could make it!" Ray said as he welcomed James, Emman and Ronian to the venue.

Emman shook hands with Ray while James and Ronian simply raise their hand as greeting before going inside.

James looked around the venue and found the others sitting near the stage.

Edson and Shane signalled them to come over as the girls kept talking to each other, not knowing the rest of their group had arrived.

"Yeah you know what, maybe I should just go and take that bonus money for working on a holid-"

"James we already talked about this, just go and apologize already...it's been 3 years dude"

Ronian stopped James' attempt at running away while giving him a Stern look, James relented and walked over to the table.

James kept quiet as both of them walked towards the table, Ronian sighed as he knew James was already thinking of a way to leave the table as soon as he gets there.

"Hey guys, Long time no see!" Ronian greeted as everyone in the table looked at him, all of them waved him over as Shane glanced towards Ronian's back.

"...wasn't James supposed to be with you?" Shane said as Ronian turned around to see James on another table, on the other side of the building.

The girls were surprised and anxious about what Shane said, as none of them knew James was also coming.

"It's been fun guys, but I have to go" Cherry excused herself from the table as Ana tried stopping her.

"It's been an hour Cherry, can't you stay for a little longer?" Ana asked desperately forcing her to stay so that both of them can finally make up.

"I'm sorry, I'll stay around for much longer next time. Good-bye" Cherry said as she grabbed her phone off the table and prepared to leave, it was then when James stood in front of her, holding a small delicate rose on his left hand.

"Hey...uhm... Yeah... " James scratched the back of his neck before offering the rose in his hand, Cherry takes it out of curiosity of what James is doing exactly.

"... I hope you like the rose..." James said as he turned towards the side, Cherry was amused by what James was doing as Ronian let out a sigh of relief that James was finally making an attempt to make a proper apology.

It was then when James' phone had started ringing and he panicked while trying to answer his phone.

"Yeah I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to take this call" James said before nodding his head and slowly walking out the venue, passing by Emman as he walked towards the table.

"I guess I'll stay for a little longer" Cherry said as she sat down next to Ana once more.

"Did he actually-" "Don't ruin the moment" Ronian stopped Emman from talking before he could break the soft gentle mood created by James'

- - -

"Yeah, thanks dude" James said as he hung his phone up, he just needed an excuse to get out from the venue as soon as he gave Cherry the Rose and asked his classmate to call him after he gave it to her.

"All i need to do now, is apologize... Come on James you can do this"

As James was about to enter the establishment once more, he saw three masked figures approach the second entrance of the venue. The guards were unsurprisingly alarmed by the masked figures and asked them to leave the premises.

It was then that the guards were shot down from another building and the masked figures took the guns the guards once had.

James panicked and hurriedly pulled out his phone.

*Phone ringing*

[Ronian: Hey dude, where the hel-

James: I honestly have no time to explain, get everyone of out their now.

Ronian:Wait, what, why?

James:The guards got shot down outside the venue, three masked fi-]

James had stopped talking as gun shot was hears through the call.

[James:GET OUT OF THERE NOW!"]

James hung up and ran inside the venue, even though he had no weapon or any form of valid martial arts training.

He knew one trick that would take down one enemy, but first he'd have to make sure every single one of his friends had gotten out.

And that the "Scouts" in their class haven't forgotten their training yet.